The fixture was a curious one: the multi-millionaires of Real Madrid taking on AFC Bournemouth whose only previous known connection with European football aristocracy is their red and black stripes – a homage to Milan's kit.

But the 6-0 result was no surprise. Cristiano Ronaldo led the charge for Real with two first-half goals, one a 30-yard special, to make sure there was no happy ending for Dorset's finest in this fairytale fixture on the south coast. It mattered little for the 12,000 or so home fans who had rolled in from the beach with their suntans and £60-a-go tickets. These are happy times to be a Bournemouth fan.

Bournemouth's manager, Eddie Howe, was sure supporters would remember the game for the rest of their lives despite the result. "These are good days. Everything is positive at the moment," said Howe, who admitted the players were "down-hearted" but felt they took the game to Real Madrid for the first 20 minutes. "We have got a team that isn't used to losing."

Asked if he had his eye on any young Real players, Howe said he hoped Bournemouth could build links with the Spanish giants. It is a sign of how far the club has come that he could take such a question seriously.

After all, there have been some tough times in the not-too-distant past for Bournemouth. In the late 90s they were 15 minutes away from ruin only to be saved by a fans' trust fund and a decade later narrowly escaped slipping out of the Football League. But they will play Championship football this season after winning promotion thanks to eight straight victories.

"Promotion was good enough," said Tim Spencer, a life-long fan at the game with his wife, Claire, and children, Henry, eight, and Millie, five. "But having this fixture is just unbelievable. The result isn't that important. This game has put us on the map."

A few were disgruntled at the price of tickets and many remain puzzled at how the club got the game in the first place. "I think it's got to be something to do with these Russians we have in the background," said another fan, Jim Jones.

According to the souvenir programme, the club's director of football, Tom Mitchell, "took a call" a little over a month ago about the possibility of a visit from Real Madrid. Officials from the Spanish giants came and checked the airport, the town and the facilities at Dean Court and declared themselves satisfied. Real Madrid were booked.

That Russian connection Green mentioned is the multimillionaire petrochemicals trader Max Demin, who owns a pad down the road on Sandbanks, one of the UK's most expensive pieces of real estate, and a share of the football club.

As for the game, the biggest cheer of the night came in the first few minutes when Bournemouth's right-back, Simon Francis, halted Ronaldo's first run. But there was precious little for Ronaldo detractors to revel in after that.

In the first 15 minutes he almost scored with one backheel and with another put in Karim Benzema for a good chance, well saved by the Bournemouth keeper, Darryl Flahavan.

On five minutes a Ronaldo free-kick cleared the bar by inches but 15 minutes later, from 30 yards out, he curled the ball around the wall for the first goal.

Two minutes later Real Madrid's new signing Isco flipped the ball forward. Bournemouth's club captain, Tommy Elphick, made a hash of the clearance and Ronaldo pounced, easily rounding the keeper. Just before half-time a charge upfield from Sami Khedira forced a corner. Isco took it, Khedira stabbed home. Game over.

Ronaldo and many other first-teamers were rested for the second half, though Kaká was a reasonable replacement. Goals from Gonzalo Higuaín, Angel di María and Casemiro completed the rout.

Carlo Ancelotti, in charge of his first game as Real manager, was quick to play down the idea that Ronaldo could move to Manchester United – or anywhere else for that matter. "Cristiano Ronaldo is the most important player of this team," he said. He said of Higuaín, who has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal and also Italian side Napoli: "Not true, I don't have any news about this.

"I think that now we have to speak about Higuaín as a Real Madrid player. He is a fantastic player and a fantastic striker who took one minute to score tonight.

"I spoke to him this week. He is a Real Madrid player and until we have news we have to consider him as a Real Madrid player and I would like him to stay with us. He is very important to us and nothing else - it is not my business to judge the price of a player."

Real Madrid fly on to the United States while Bournemouth now prepare for a pre-season friendly with Portsmouth on Tuesday before their opening Championship game against Charlton. And the optimistic home fans will dream of a time when Ronaldo and his pals visit again.